| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/3/2008 10:18:45 PM | Lately I've been addicted to doing dips, chin-ups and pull-ups. I'm just beginning and would like some tips.
What did you guys do when you first started? Like did you do certain weights before you started pullups/chinups/dips?
How many reps can you do now? How did you progress?
I just love how it works the upper muscles and its a great workout. I'm going to buy a chin-up bar to put in my room so I can do some before I go to work lol | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/4/2008 1:59:13 AM | Erm, to be perfectly honest I haven't trained for quite a while now, but when I started doing chins I could do 5 at 150lbs, and after about 2 years I was doing 10 with an added 60lbs at a bodyweight of 200lbs.
As for dips, for some reason I always did much better at them... couldn't even do one unweighted at 150lbs, after a couple of years I could do 10 with an extra 110lbs at a bodyweight of 200lbs.
Would like to have seen the same gains with chins, but they're a more difficult movement to get right IMO. | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/4/2008 9:16:33 AM | narrow grip are best for the upper back when it comes to chins, too wide and youll throw your shoulder out
get a dipping belt and stick a plate on it to increase the weight | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/4/2008 9:27:05 AM | Keep in mind a chin up is palms supinated(facing you), where a pullup is a pronated grip(palms facing away).
Once your able to do over 10 repetitions with your bodyweight, its time to add weight(even if its a pd or two its a progression).
Just keep practicing and you'll make progress. | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/4/2008 11:07:04 AM |
narrow grip are best for the upper back when it comes to chins, too wide and youll throw your shoulder out
Not to mention you're going to be unable to hit your lats as well as you could with a narrow grip because the biceps are in a weaker biomechanical position with a wide grip and will fatigue quicker.
Once your able to do over 10 repetitions with your bodyweight, its time to add weight(even if its a pd or two its a progression).
Surely this depends on your goals and loading parameters? You can't just say "8-10 reps per set should be the goal for everyone under all circumstances". You follow that adage and you will find your gains levelling out very, very quickly. | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/4/2008 11:39:20 AM | | Sorry, I phrased that last post poorly, what I meant is that with a narrow grip your lats will be hit harder because your biceps are in a stronger biomechanical position than they are wiith a wide grip, and so in a narrow grip they will take longer to fatigue and you can use a greater load and fatigue your lats to a greater extent before your biceps drop out of the lift and stop you being able to perform more reps. | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/4/2008 5:58:40 PM | If my goal is strength, I want to increase the load and stick within a certain rep range(5 and under generally). If my goal is hypertrophy, I would follow the same principle but use a higher rep range(8-12) . Anything beyond that is more endurance.
Remember an increase can be .5 pd, 1 pd, even 2lbs on this exercise compared to a 5lb jump(invest in fractional plates or make your own from chain links from the hardware store). The point is you have to define what your trying to accomplish and follow the overload principle to succeed in what your doing. | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/5/2008 12:32:24 AM |
If my goal is strength, I want to increase the load and stick within a certain rep range(5 and under generally). If my goal is hypertrophy, I would follow the same principle but use a higher rep range(8-12) . Anything beyond that is more endurance.
Do you not then spot the inherent problem with making a statement like this:
Once your able to do over 10 repetitions with your bodyweight, its time to add weight(even if its a pd or two its a progression).
What if the trainee wants to train for endurance, or strength-endurance?
Plus I assume you are aware that to stimulate full hypertrophy of the muscle you want to hit fast twitch fibres with sets of say 2-5 reps and slow twitch fibres with sets of say 12-20 reps, so suggesting it's time to add weight when you get to 10 reps is ridiculous since there are copious reasons why most people should be doing a great deal more as well as a great deal less than 10 reps per set.
If you stick to 8-12 reps per set I would be willing to bet you're neither particularly big, nor particularly strong. | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/5/2008 5:04:57 AM | What a great attitude you have there Parkour613, good to see you like the basic, hard exercises that WILL deliver RESULTS, unlike all these fitness fads that promise results without barely lifting a finger.
I learnt to do pullups by just grabbing the bar and doing it, even if it was only a few reps, just keep plugging away and you gradually build back strength. Pull ups are hard for novices too because it's hard to really feel the back muscles when new to training, unlike biceps.
Once you feel the back muscles and have a good mind-muscle connection, you can really feel your back working when doing pull ups, think of your arms as 'hooks' and squeeze those shoulder blades as you raise yourself up.
Pull ups, a stable of my back routine for years, when first started, I struggled with 6 reps, but built up to 30 reps when fully working out and taking creatine and heaps of protein, even though I weighed 100kg.
Currently I can do 17 reps at a bodyweight of 85kg. I sometimes do weighted, and today I added 10kg and did 10 reps. Back muscles feel it.
Dips are awesome for chest, shoulders, triceps, I find bodyweight dips are sufficient for really keeping these muscles conditioned, but weighted dips really pack on the muscle. Dips are far more effective than pushups.
Chins and Dips alone can work most major upper body muscles, and they are damm effective exercises, so good luck. | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/5/2008 8:47:11 PM |
I dunno why people add weight, why not just do more reps? Are you kidding me ?!!?!? How do you expect to get high reps if you don't build muscle and strength ??
How do you expect to build muscle and strength if you don't add weight ???
body weight exercises will only get you so far. If you really want to develop a stronger back and be able to bang out over 20 reps on pull ups YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO ADD WEIGHT !!!! | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/6/2008 3:07:27 AM |
If you really want to develop a stronger back and be able to bang out over 20 reps on pull ups YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO ADD WEIGHT !!!!
spot on there, by doing weighted chins, you will build more power and strength in your back. Then when you do a set of bodyweight chins, it will feel so light. You feel you could rep it out all day. | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/6/2008 2:09:28 PM | "think of your arms as 'hooks' and squeeze those shoulder blades as you raise yourself up."
Cool tip thanks HikingFitGuy2 , I've been noticing I've been focusing on my biceps/triceps and didn't realize I should focus on my back as well.
bullyraw:
I always thought just by increasing the reps you would build the strength? But I can see how adding weights will build the muscle and just using your bodyweight would be much easier after and you can rep it out all day like HikingFitGuy2 said lol | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/6/2008 6:46:43 PM | | Parkour, Working out is great for the body. Just dont forget about a healthy diet. I eat 6 times a day to keep my metabolism high. There is a great ebook called "THE TRUTH ABOUT 6 PACK ABS" It's packed full of great work out tips and explains a healthy diet. I highly recommend it. | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/6/2008 6:55:12 PM |
THE TRUTH ABOUT 6 PACK ABS
Any advice on doing sit ups? I have so much trouble pinning my feet down. I stick them under a full size sofa and it still comes off the ground! I have been thinking on bolting a bracket to the floor, any other ideas? | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/8/2008 12:50:05 AM | Originally posted by pseudonymJay
Any advice on doing sit ups? I have so much trouble pinning my feet down. I stick them under a full size sofa and it still comes off the ground! I have been thinking on bolting a bracket to the floor, any other ideas?
Could always try doing them properly. What you describe is a different motion to what is intended. Situps/crunches are meant to focus on the abdominals, their movement is spine flexion. Leg lift implies you are using your hip flexors, flexing from the hip instead of the spine. You need to aim a joint higher, if one wants to call intervertebral flexion a 'joint' movement.
Since it is nigh on impossible to seperate the movements completely and there is always some overlap, you have most likely developed your hip flexors over abdominals. Trying even harder to pin your legs down will only add to the problems and increase the risk of back injury. The Iliopsoas in particular has one of its heads originating on the spine itself- overly strengthening this muscle will pull your spine out of whack.
You need therefore to do your abdominal exercises with *no* feet holding at all. As you strengthen your abdominals, this will come easier. Working your hip flexors because it feels better is not the answer. Observe exercises here: http://exrx.net/Lists/ExList/WaistWt.html . Note the ones with no feet involvement or hip flexion and focus on them.
I fully expect you to ignore this information. The important thing is that I know other people will read it and learn something new and that makes it worth my effort. | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/8/2008 4:15:13 PM | ^^^^ So you're saying the traditional situp (as I know it) is not suitable for abs, should be more like a jacknife or vee motion for abs. Basically let the legs lift with the torso, or to pin the feet use an incline.
As for ignoring your advice, no way, keep it coming! I did notice one move is a yoga posture, upward facing dog. It was actually my lack of knowledge that lead me to do situps that way.
Advice appreciated, thanks ct1. | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/8/2008 11:38:53 PM |
So you're saying the traditional situp (as I know it) is not suitable for abs, should be more like a jacknife or vee motion for abs. Basically let the legs lift with the torso, or to pin the feet use an incline.
The way you are doing it is utilising way too much hip flexor, you have the motion wrong. You do not want the legs to move at all- feet should stay on the ground or whatever surface you are doing them without being held. This will mean that the abdominus rectus instead of hip flexors is doing the work.
I assure you it is possible to keep ones feet on the ground unheld. It will be very hard for you at first because your body has adapted in other ways, but stick with it and it will come easier.
I used to think it was impossible as well. Now, I can do weighted situps with feet unheld, it is just a case of working the abs until they are strong enough and trying to avoid using the hip flexors in the movement. | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/16/2008 3:39:57 PM | Im back training after a long lay off.
My close grip pull downs Im pulling around 75kg for 5 reps, and I'm only doing 22.5kg dumbell presses for 5.
hopefully be pressing over 30kg's and pulling 100kg by xmas | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/16/2008 9:08:12 PM | | well dont know about saying what all i do but started lifting hard about 2 months ago at 155 i am now 170 and its all muscle weight. running into a problem at the gym tho because alot of people are seeing my progress and comming up to me asking me to "train" them basically. The key for me has been hard work and staying concentrated.. if you go into a gym to "workout" and all you do is look for the next girl your going to hit on you dont belong there.. i see it alot and its really pathetic and funny when the girl approaches me after mr "i workout" drops his lines on her | |
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| dips, chin-ups and pull-ups...
Posted: 5/17/2008 7:43:17 AM |
well dont know about saying what all i do but started lifting hard about 2 months ago at 155 i am now 170 and its all muscle weight. running into a problem at the gym tho because alot of people are seeing my progress and comming up to me asking me to "train" them basically. The key for me has been hard work and staying concentrated.. if you go into a gym to "workout" and all you do is look for the next girl your going to hit on you dont belong there.. i see it alot and its really pathetic and funny when the girl approaches me after mr "i workout" drops his lines on her
You put on 15lb of muscle in eight weeks, people keep interfering with your workout because they stop you to train them and then the women come up to you to pick you up after all the other guys fail to pick them up because that is all the guys are in the gym for.
You are awesome man. When I was a kid I had fantasies like that too! | |
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